Expansion and contraction anchorage for thermic siphons



Sept. 20,1927. 1,643,128

J. L. NICHOLSON EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION ANCHORAGE FOR THERMIC SIPHONS Filed Feb. 21, 1922 0 0o, 00 oo 0 000 o 'oooo 430000 0000000 oo-oo oooo 000000000 Fns.2 I Invlzn ron.

Patented Sept. 20, 1927.,

ITE S A ES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN L. NICHOLSON, oronroneo, ILLINOIS, assrenoa TO Loooivrorrvn rrnniaox COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE;

nxrAnsron Ann oonranorron anononaen FOR THERMIC srrnons.

' Application filed February 21, 1922. Serial No. 538,410.

This invention relates to locomotive boilers whlch conta n such water steaming and circulating devices, as I have described and claimed in Letters Patent Nof1,387,720,'

granted April 20, 1920." The device mentioned s known as'the N cholson therm1c siphon. It is generally of triangular form,

having at the bottom or inverted apex, an

intake neck or tubular portion which extends throughthe front wall or throat'sheet of the firebox. The inverted base of this triangular-water wall, for such it is, opens through and attached to the crown sheet of the firebox. Obviously all connections .must be strong and steam tight.

The thermic siphon, as'is the case with all other parts of the firebox, is subjected to very considerable expansion and contraction movements, due to the varying temperature within the firebox. These movements and stre ses tend to disrupt'the joints between the thermic siphon and throat and crown sheets, making it necessary, as pointed out in the aforesaid patent, to provide means to automatically take up or absorb these movemcnti of expansion and contraction.

This present invention hasto do with improven'ients in the connection between the neck or intake end of the siphon and the flue sheet, or throat sheet, of thefirebox.

Hitherto I have employed a diaphragm section or portion surrounding theneck of the siphon, forming the same either in the sheet itself or first cutting a hole in the sheet and-[thenwelding in, and separately staying the diaphragmic section.- As will presently appear, I propose new to modify that sort of connection by providing the forward part of the firebox itself with a special protuberance and cavity, added'to the throat or front water leg of the firebox, and which will directly receive the neck of the siphon.

The general con truction herein 111811.

tioned, and the details of my invention, will 3 is a somewhat enlarged front elevation of the device which I. apply to the front sheet, one for each thermic siphon; and Figs. 4; and 5 illustrate modified forms of the device, or as might better be said, represent different ways in which the device of Fig. 3 may be applied to fireboxes of various shapes.

. The firebox illustrated in Fig. 1, is of the straight flue sheet type, except that the throat sheet 2, is pitched downward and backward, as contrasted with the plain throat of Fig. 5. Figure 4 represents a portion of the firebox of the so-called combus: tion chamber type, having a throat sheet 4 which at the top merges with the combustion chamber portion 5 of the firebox. The

firebox, according to size, contains one, two or three thermic siphons S, of the form above described and extending from the throat sheet 2, to the crown sheet 6, in each case.

This generally triangular and hollow water wall expands and contracts within, and with, the firebox, and. I have observed that such movement culminates in the neck S of the siphon, and seems to take effect, accumulatively, along the line of the middle axis (imaginary) 7, of the siphon. In con sequence, in every case, the direction of the expansion and contraction movement between the neck of the siphon and throat sheet is observed to conform to a line which extending from the crown sheet forms an acute angle with the throat sheet.

I conceive that the proper position for the diaphragmic connection between the throat sheet and the neck of the siphon, should be in a plane perpendicular to this resultant or accumulative line of expansion and contraction between the parts. To accomplish this without greatly complicating the problem of staying the boiler sheets, I employ an inverted cylindrical pot, 8, the lower end of which opens, so to speak, through the throat sheet of the firebox, and hence into the front water leg of the boiler, while the upper end of the pot 8 contains a central opening and is formed or corrugated in such a manner as to successfully accomplish the purposes of a diaphragm, to which the lower end of the siphon is permanently fastened, as by the autogenous welding process.

This pot 8, I have further arranged, with its axis in al'tucnicnt or substantially in alineinent with the middle or resultant line of expansion and contraction, as represented by the line "F, in Figs. 1, at and Obviously that imaginary line tound in dilt'erent siphons, varic= in pee ion and inclination accordii'n; to their dilierences in triz'ingrnlar shape.

The inverted pot 8, is pressed, stamped or forged from a sheet of rolled material like the tire sheets of the firebox 'enerally steel or copper. tibrlou in it is possible to us a copper pot in a eel firebox.

In order that upper end may be bulged or corrne'ated. a shown at 8, the inverted pot 8, as \veli own l1! Figs. 2 and 3, is of gene ally cyliiulrical form and of about twice the diameter ot the intake neck til of the thcrniic 'tiphon, to the end that its upper end 8 may contain the central opening 9, for the siphon neck.

In applying this device l lirst form or cut an opening in the throat sheet, making the sonic somewhat larger than the diameter of the pot 8 and ti en, hatingascertained the corrcct-angular position tor the inverted pot, 1 truncate and llane'c the lower end thereof, on a plane correipontli11g to such angula r position. I then proviiile it with a l'lanc'e 8. which it tit Within the opening )reriously tor-med in the throat sheet. Havlnii done this, and before the siphon is tilted into the firebox. l apply the inverted pot to the lower end ot the siphon, adjust it to the correct position thereon (not in alincment with the liillgI-jt'tl. lower part of the siphon, but in alineinent with the ascertained re sultant expansion and contraction line or axis 1) and then Weld the inwardly turned central llangrc S, at the pot to the siphon neck. l then place the siphon in the tirebox, "iilloivingi' the JilctlOtl generally dcscribed in the aforesaid Letters Patent Welding: or rivetirt the tlan 'ed base 8", of the inverted pot to the throat at. it then only remains to apply bolts ill, to the base thingies and walls of the inverted pot; these st bolts. will be apparent, being made Fast in the shell oi the lioiler. Various othe' stay bolting methods may be employed as indicated in hi s. 'l, and 54 I pre or that in every casethe plane of truncation (the plane upon which the 111 vertcd part is made to con loriu to the throat sheet), shall intersect the highest point of the bulging or corrugated top 9 of the in rerted pot. lhur= to avoid the presence of a steam poclict thereiii. The correct position for the di: phrr 'ni pa rt. or in. that care the inverted pot. i. not dillicnlt to detcrinii'ie. The mean line out ex ansion and contraction (herein czllcd resultant), is a line which bisects the angle of the siphon, treating the end of the neck S as the apex and the top oi the siphon as the base of the bisected angle.

These relatively small protuberances on the throat sheet do not interfere with the operation of the firebox grate, nor do they tend to interfere with or suppress combustion on the :t'orward end of the grate. The construction has the further merit of being inexpensive, easy 01' application, Very durable, and entirely sate.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A locomotive lirebox embodying therein a throat sheet and containing a tllQl'IIllC siphon having a neck, the line of expansion and contraction of said siphon extending at an acute angle to said throat sheet, an in vertcd cylindrical pot incorporated in said throat sheet with its axis in substantial alignment with said line of expansion and contraction and having a wall with an opening therein to receive the end of said neck.

A locomotive firebox embodying theroin a throat sheet and containing a therlnic siphon having a neck, the line of expansion and contraction of said siphon extending at an acute angle to said throat sheet, and an inverted cylindrical pot incorporated in said tin-oat sheet and having a wall with a flanged opening therein to receive said siphon neck, which will is pcrperulicnlar to said line of expansion and contraction of the siphon.

3. i l locomotive firebox embodying therein a throat sheet and containing a therinic siphon having a neck, the line of expansion and contraction of said siphon extending at an acute angle to said throat sheet, and an inverted cylindrical pot incorporated in said throat sheet and having an annularlj; corru gated Wall with. a flanged opening therein to receive said siphon neck, which. annularly corrugated \vall disposed perpendicular to said line of expansion and contraction of the siphon.

it. The ilnprorenicnts herein described comprising: in COJTllJllltltlOIl with locomotive firebox having crown and throat sheets, a Water steaming and circulating oleinenthaving an elongated top end opening throucl'l said crown sheet and having;- a neck at its other end, the line of expansion and contraction of said element extending at an acute angle to said throat shoot, an inverted cylindri-al pot incorporated in said throat sheet, and having a wall in which said neck is received which wall is perpendicular to said line of expansion and contraction of said elenient.

In testimony whcreot, I athx my signa 

